Photographer Jamie Nelson says a Los Angeles court has declined to issue a civil harassment restraining order against Amyl And The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor as the wider copyright dispute between Nelson and Amy Taylor continues in federal court.
by Paul Cashmere
A Los Angeles court has declined to issue a Civil Harassment Restraining Order sought by photographer Jamie Nelson against Amy Taylor, lead singer of Melbourne punk band Amyl And The Sniffers, as the broader copyright dispute between the parties moves forward in the United States federal court system.
Nelson confirmed the decision to Noise11 following the March 6 hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, describing the ruling as an opportunity for the court to formally review the dispute while leaving the central legal battle unresolved.
“The court reviewed the evidence and provided the opportunity for the matter to be addressed on the record,” Nelson said in a statement to Noise11. “I am proud to have stood up for myself and for artists who may face similar situations.”
The restraining order request formed one part of a wider legal conflict that has unfolded across multiple courts in the United States since late 2025. At the centre of the dispute are photographs created by Nelson featuring Taylor, originally produced as part of a photographic series titled Champagne Problems, which appeared in the July 2025 international issue of Vogue Portugal.
Nelson says she photographed, produced and independently financed the series and holds the copyright to the images. The disagreement emerged after the photographs were later offered for sale as fine-art prints, a practice common within the photography and art markets.
According to Nelson, there was no written agreement limiting her ability to sell the images as prints. The dispute escalated late last year after online commentary relating to the photographs appeared on social media.
Court filings referenced by Nelson outline a timeline of events that began on December 4, 2025 when Taylor’s husband, filmmaker John Angus Stewart of PHC Films, posted one of Nelson’s photographs online alongside commentary that Nelson says discouraged potential buyers from purchasing the prints.
Later that day, Nelson issued cease-and-desist notices to Stewart, Amy Taylor, the band entity Amyl And The Sniffers, and the band’s manager Simone Ubaldi of Sundowner Music.
Nelson alleges that the responses she received to the legal notices were hostile, prompting her to file a petition for a civil harassment restraining order against Taylor on December 9, 2025.
Two weeks later, on December 22, Taylor initiated a federal lawsuit in California asserting right-of-publicity and related claims against Nelson. That filing brought the dispute into the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
The legal conflict intensified in February 2026 when Nelson responded with counterclaims for copyright infringement. Those filings named Taylor, Stewart, PHC Films Pty Ltd and the band entity Amyl And The Sniffers Pty Ltd as parties in the dispute.
Nelson also filed two motions challenging Taylor’s claims. One is a Special Motion to Strike under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to protect First Amendment rights against lawsuits alleged to target protected speech. The second is a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, seeking dismissal of Taylor’s claims.
Both motions are scheduled to be heard in federal court on March 19, 2026. “The broader copyright dispute between the parties will continue in federal court, where hearings on several motions are currently scheduled,” Nelson said in her update to Noise11.
Nelson is representing herself in the proceedings. She says the case highlights challenges faced by independent visual artists when disputes arise with high-profile figures in the entertainment industry.
“I am an independent photographer without an attorney, navigating these proceedings on my own,” she said. “Facing federal litigation against a national law firm and music management company can be intimidating.”
The case highlights the intersection of copyright law, image rights and artistic control, issues that increasingly arise as photography and music industries operate across international markets and digital platforms.
For performers, control of their likeness and image is closely tied to branding, merchandising and commercial partnerships. For photographers, copyright ownership is the foundation that allows images to be exhibited, licensed and sold as works of art.
Amyl And The Sniffers have become one of Australia’s most internationally recognised punk bands since forming in Melbourne in 2016. Fronted by Taylor, the group built its reputation through relentless touring and explosive live performances before breaking onto the global festival circuit.
The band’s rise has seen them transition from Australian pub stages to major festivals in Europe and North America, with Taylor’s visual identity playing a central role in the group’s public image.
Nelson says the outcome of the restraining order hearing does not end the legal fight, which now centres on the federal copyright case.
“At times it can feel like a David-and-Goliath situation,” she said. “But the court system exists so that the merits of a case, not the relative power of the parties, determine the outcome.”
The next stage of the dispute will unfold in federal court when the motions filed by Nelson are heard on March 19 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
View the work of Jamie Nelson here
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